Traveling the Country in 18 Days!

In 2016 I had the honor of going on an 18 day road trip across America with a powerful organization named Mishkah. Here’s my reflection after finishing the trip.

Travel is incomparable to any other experience. Travel has this unique way of changing you. It allows you to learn the otherwise unteachable. It causes you to look outside of yourself in a very real and honest way examine who you really are.

You begin to ask a course of deep questions. You start asking the real defining questions. The questions thats answers will only truly be revealed at the end of ones life.

Where, who and what did her identity lie in? Where did she come from and where did she ultimately go? When she was given to was she grateful? When things were taken away was she grateful? Were her eyes and heart most fixated on the positive or negative. Ugliness or beauty? Did she love more, than others hate? Wherever she went did the beauty of what she experienced become apart of her or a fading memory, picture or story? Did her absence of certainty look like faith or did it look like doubt? Was her heart attached to worldly things that which could never give her life? When she was given to and blessed did she transform her blessing to another for someone else?

Was she a member of her community… taking, taking, taking, or a valuable contributor striving to allow what was given to be given back ten fold? Did she hold a genuine unconditional love for her people or did it waver leaving and coming as swiftly as a quick wind. Was she striving to grow into the manifestation of the soul God created her to be or was she walking in fear to pursue her purpose? Allowing the phone of destiny to ring and not answering the call? Was she a humble person constantly learning and being open to others experiences or lifestyle? or did she think she knew everything?

Did she understand that any praise she was given for a talent or gift or skill wasn’t given as simply a symbol of her greatness alone but rather a symbol of her responsibility? Did she embrace the unexpected with open arms realizing she was walking into the beauty of God’s plan and not her own? Did she walk in confidence and certainty as God’s creation bearing witness to the beauty of the mountains, ocean, desserts, plants and animals and realizing that out of all of those beautiful beautiful magnificent creations that in a way he made the human being the greatest? That he bestowed her with the privilege of free will. Did she understand that as the mountains, ocean, plants, and animals were gorgeous and constantly in a state of submission acting in accordance with their nature that she could too? That she could be gorgeous and magnificent too?

Was she gorgeous? Was she magnificent? In a world where unhealthy living was the
norm did she personally aim for a healthy life? was she an advocate for health, wellness and holistic living? In a world where the environment is treated
with the absolute lowest of disregard, sanctity, and sacredness where environmental harm, racism and injustice running rampant was she mindful of her actions and relationship with the environment? Was she an advocate for change?

In a world where racism is a milli-second to second constant reality was she found constantly fighting for the liberation of her people? In a country where we walk on the blood of the genocide of an entire group of people and culture did she act as if she didn’t know of the Native American plight? When she witnessed oppression did she turn a blind eye?

As a fashion designer did she color inside the lines? Did she submit to the culture of the industry good and bad out of fear? Or did she embrace the good and boldly embrace a new standard?

Did she love? Was she a loving daughter? An encouraging and trustworthy friend? Did she marry? Was she good to him? Did she grow with him? Did she treat love as a noun or verb? Did she help make him a better man? Did he rise and grow into a manifestation of who God created him to be with her? Did she truly love him? Did their love change the world?

Was she a mother? Through her mental and physical womb were ideas, realities and servants of God and his people brought forward? Was she good to them? Did she nurture them? Did she reflect the beauty of her mother, and her mothers mother and mothers mother’s mother’ and her mothers mothers mothers , mother and so on…. and did she in her own way do more than they did?

Did she allow herself to become overwhelmed with the work, finding it so cumbersome that she did nothing at all or did she live and walk with an understanding that miracles can happen if you simply take it one moment at a time? did she do her best?

I encourage us all to ask ourselves our own deep questions and become intimately acquainted with the work and faith necessary to allow those answers on that final day and on to be ones of power and beauty. I encourage us all to live for causes greater than ourselves. I encourage us all to find meaning, and power in God and his word and not that which is contrary to him and leaves us chasing, chasing, chasing and broken broken, my so broken every single time. I encourage you to live like there is no tomorrow, because it isn’t promised. I encourage us to believe in the seemingly
impossible, because miracles happen every day. I encourage us to reach for that which our fear allows us to believe is far too big, far too tall, and distant to be feasible. I encourage us to not be fearful of hard work. I encourage us to love, love love with our whole heart never being fearful of what a brutal world can do to a soft and vulnerable heart because nothing is stronger and powerful than the strength God has the ability to provide. I encourage you to give and to give and to give until you think you don’t have anything left and then to grow and give more. I encourage us to live light and to be unbothered and untouched by material possessions and attachments that value is constantly fleeting and isn’t everlasting. I encourage us to be committed to what it means to be ourselves, your true self and to walk in peace. I encourage us to live like the most heroic people of our time lived…. like a traveler…..

If you would like to see many of the great things I saw click the link below!